Max Phillips spends his 8-to-5 at Qwest Communications International Inc., where he heads the company’s Iowa operations. Every other waking minute is shared with family – his wife and three children – the Iowa Business Council – he was recently appointed chair of the organization for 2006 – the State Board of Education – his appointment was recently confirmed by the Legislature – the Iowa chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – he co-chair the March 4 fund-raising walk – and his church – he was ordained as a Lutheran minister last month.

“I’m not one to sit around,” he explains.

But Phillips describes all of these experiences – including his terms as mayor of Bouton and president of the Woodward-Granger Community School Board – as part of his efforts to be a lifelong learner and to continue to give back to his community.

“I think we make a huge mistake when we set up a system that says you have to be a learner from ages 5 to 18 or 22, and then you’re a learned person,” he said. “In reality, in this economy, in this world, you’re going to be a learner your entire life. So for me, every one of those opportunities is a chance to learn more, to be a better resource for people.”

Phillips was born on a farm near Bouton but moved several times because of his father’s career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He enrolled in the University of Iowa with the original intent of earning an advanced degree in agricultural sciences, perhaps in order to launch a career in plant genetics, he said.

A part-time job as a service representative with Northwestern Bell, which after deregulation and a merger became part of Qwest, evolved into a career that’s going on 28 years. He has found himself in a company that feels more like a family, and has been supported by company leaders who have encouraged him and other employees to invest time and resources in their communities, which Phillips has taken to heart.

He returned to his family farm near Bouton then moved into town when he got married and was talked into local politics. He served as the city’s mayor from 1981 until he moved in 1986. “It was a lot of fun, and probably one of the greatest learning experiences I had,” he said.

Under Phillips’ leadership, Bouton built a new city hall and community center. “I think we really ignited a sense of volunteerism and personal investment in the community through a variety of activities,” he said.

His family moved to a farm near Woodward and he quickly became involved in school-related activities. He was elected to four terms on the district’s school board and spent most of that time as president. He led discussions regarding a controversial building program that resulted in the construction of a new elementary school in Granger. The district also started a summer learning program for children and took other steps to put its schools on the cutting edge with everything from class scheduling to curriculum.

“It was an exciting job in that there’s always a lot to learn,” Phillips said. “And maybe that’s the critical part of any educational system: that it’s made up of learners, starting with some of the oldest ones, like me.”

His tenure on the Woodward-Granger school board came to an end last fall when he was appointed by Gov. Tom Vilsack to the State Board of Education. He called it “bittersweet,” as he was honored to be chosen by the governor but was sad to be stepping down from a local office. He continues to serve as chair of the district’s facilities committee.

Phillips said his experiences with the school district provided him with insight into the importance of policy in shaping a child’s education, and that on the State Board of Education he hopes to be an advocate for “constructive policy change that supports and builds educational opportunities for kids.”

“I think Iowa is in a precarious situation, and it’s only precarious from the standpoint that we always had one of the best educational systems in the nation and in the world and was regarded as such,” he said. “If we want to be good, we’re fine. If we want to be the best and leading in education, we’re at a point where we need to make some changes and we need to rethink how we teach kids.”

His experience in education has also made him an advocate for early childhood education, which he said represents the most significant opportunity to improve the education system. Research has revealed that the majority of brain development occurs before age 4, and that children can understand complex and challenging concepts at a young age. The challenge now, Phillips said, is to apply that research in a way that will benefit all children.

Part of his passion for early childhood education ties directly back to his role as a business executive and the push by him and other business leaders to develop a more skilled workforce that will help their companies to better compete on a global level. By starting at the most basic level of workforce development, employers can improve output all the way through the system, he said.

“It would be like a manufacturer,” Phillips said. “If you had raw components coming into your plant that weren’t the quality you needed, it would impact how your product performed even after it rolled off the assembly line.”

Now as head of the Iowa Business Council, an organization that has addressed the issue of early childhood education for several years, Phillips finds himself in a position to bridge the gap between business leaders and policy makers on the issue.

“They’re basically going at the same problem and we just need to find a way to fine-tune our efforts,” he said. The Iowa Business Council hosted an Early Childhood Summit on Wednesday, where business leaders and legislators met to discuss the importance of early childhood education and its effect on the development of quality employees.

In addition to early childhood education, the IBC plans to study issues related to growth and innovation, economic development, health care and diversity. Phillips, now in his sixth year on the council, said the organization’s old approach was to identify an “issue du jour,” research it, write a report and then hope business and community leaders used the information. That’s no longer the case, he said, adding that the council believes it has a responsibility to support significant change for Iowa’s future.

Tied in with these initiatives are efforts to improve workplace efficiencies, particularly in a health-care setting, as well as efforts to focus on diversity as a workforce strategy and to address a looming worker shortage.

“One of our concerns is if you’re a state that’s averaging 1 percent growth, which is among the lowest in the nation, it is difficult to maintain the plans and the economic engines that we all want for the state of Iowa,” Phillips said. “So we need more workers, and a worker shortage is an issue that’s becoming more and more acute in various companies.”

Phillips is not only facing new challenges at the State Board of Education and the Iowa Business Council, but at his church as well. He was ordained a minister on Feb. 12 after spending many nights and weekends completing his seminary studies through correspondence classes.

“I think it’s just who I am,” he said. “Even in my own career, I haven’t designed how to get to where I am. Opportunities have happened and people have taken me under their wing and mentored me along the way, and I think in the church it’s been the same thing. People don’t stop being people of faith when they’re at work, just like you don’t stop being a Republican or Democrat at work, just like you don’t stop being a parent or early childhood proponent at work.”